Potty Training Tips & Tricks for Modern Families

Thank you to Pull-Ups and Family Dollar for sponsoring today’s post and helping me to set the stage for potty training success!

Potty Training…it’s something every parent deals with. It can be a rewarding time of learning and building self-confidence, or it can be a time of frustration and self-doubt. How you go about this daunting task with your kids is what determines which path potty training will take. I’m going to be honest here, and I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit, that I don’t really remember the potty training phase with my son (now 13). He must have been a pretty easy keeper but my daughter (age 3) has been a bit different.

I don’t know if it’s because I’m older, it’s a girl instead of a boy, and I’m terrified I’m going to screw up my kid or what, but when we started talking about potty training, I was just sure we were going to do it wrong. When my son was a baby, I was too young to realize there was anything to worry about. With my daughter though, I felt like even thought I’d done it before, I didn’t have a foggy clue what I was doing. I needed help and lots of advice. Fortunately for me, Huggies has a ton of resources available and I’ve been using them from day one. Of course Pull-Ups® have also made the whole potty training process much less scary (for mom and daughter both)!

Pull-Ups products are all about getting kids interested in potty training because if it’s not fun and rewarding, there’s really no incentive for a toddler to be a willing participant. Pull-Ups training pants have unique patterns like pirates and pricnesses that fade when wet to help your child learn to stay dry. The easy-open sides make it easy to check for potty breaks, plus they’re stretchy to help kids learn how to put them on and take them off like a Big Kid. I think that’s my daughters favorite part beside the Disney designs – she felt like she was wearing big girl underwear and could do it herself. As we’ve transitioned more and more to regular panties, she already knows exactly what to do.

Potty Training Tips and Tricks

Having resources and cool training pants is one thing, but how does one really go about potty training? The truth is, there’s no “right” answer. Different processes and rewards work for different families, and even different kids withing the same family. The trick is having a variety of resources and ideas to try so that you can find what makes you and your mini me confident and successful. Some of the tricks and tips I’ve used or heard of others using include:

Sticker or Reward Charts for a job well done – a star on the chart can let visual learners see how well they’re doing or give them a goal to shoot for.

Keep supplies (wipes, change of clothes, and extra Pull-Ups) handy at home, in the car, or when traveling just in case of emergency. This can help kids stay comfortable and keep from being embarrassed which can be a big set back for some.

Candy – a freind’s daughter fought potty training, but loved Skittles, so she kept a supply of Skittles on hand and her daughter soon learned that using the potty meant she got a Skittle. Things progressed much faster once there was an incentive she was interested in.

Potty Seats – try different ones until you find one you like. My son didn’t use one at all, and my daughter used the little foam ones that go directly on the big potty. Friends of mine swear by the little portable potties because the big toilet was scary at first. Find what works for you.

Of course, the most important tip for successful potty training is having the right equipment at the right price! Be sure to check out Family Dollar for their great values and easy ways to save on name brand products like Pull-Ups! Text “CARE” to 28767 and you can save $2.50 on Pull-Ups at Family Dollar. If you need to find the nearest location, visit the Family Dollar store locator AND make sure you check out the Pull-Ups website for even more potty training tips and tricks!

What potty training questions do you have? What’s your best potty training tip or trick? Let me know in the comments below and thanks for reading!

We have 2 kids now that we have potty trained – boy and a girl and they were very different! Our son was 2 1/2 when he was ready, but our daughter did it at 18 months. However, we used the 3 day potty training plan on both kids and it worked beautifully and both kids were potty trained in 3 days. It is an awesome plan and worked twice for us!

I think the best advice I’d give someone is wait until the kiddo is ready. I know a lot of parents who are so eager to get a toddler potty trained they start way too early. It usually ends up with both kid and parent really frustrated!

Oh honey, it’s not failing – I don’t care how many you’ve successfuly potty trained (My sister has 4, I have 2), they’re all different. My sister’s youngest is four now and I have a friend who’s daughter is 5 and still not completely potty trained. They all have their own timeline and all we can do is try to be patient and keep them interested until they’re ready because if there’s one thing toddlers don’t do – it’s work on what we think is the appropriate timeline for these things! Just keep on keepin on and you and Pickle will get there.

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My name is Alison. My favorite color is glitter. I love tattoos and finding ways to simplify life. Life with my husband, two children, five dogs, three cats, and lots of miniature horses is never boring but I still find the time to advocate for brands that I love and share my life, helpful hints, and a laugh or two with my amazing fans! Read More…